Little Latham Farmers

Woodland, farm animals and an Art Cabin give Little Latham Farmers its character. Based at Latham Farm in Gomersal, this nursery makes outdoor exploration a substantial part of the day: children have daily access to woodland on site, alongside opportunities to grow vegetables, build shelters and experiment with natural materials. Nature supplies the setting for learning, rather than simply a backdrop to play.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 9 April 2025, with communication and language among its strengths. The nursery has 65 places in total; children attending in April 2025 were aged 0 to 4. That whole-nursery capacity is separate from the number of children sharing any particular activity or room.

The strongest reason to consider Little Latham Farmers is the combination of practical outdoor experiences and attention to children's relationships. There is room for physical challenge, creative work and quieter storytelling within the same offer.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and early skills such as counting and mark-making. Here, activities connect those areas with outdoor exploration and creative work. Growing produce, for example, gives children something real to observe and care for, while shelter building creates a practical reason to work together.

Forest School adds an emphasis on learning through nature, hands-on exploration and supported challenges. A trained Forest School teacher helps plan activities around children's existing experiences. This gives the approach a concrete place in the nursery day: woodland exploration, building dens and supervised cooking over an open fire are examples of what children can do.

The Art Cabin is a log cabin used for creative and sensory activities, including messy play and crafts. The Vegetable Patch gives children opportunities to plant and tend organic produce. These offer different ways to participate: making something, experimenting with materials or caring for a growing plant.

Natural materials and loose parts also feature in play. Natural materials and loose parts encourage children to experiment creatively and play independently. Alongside these outdoor experiences, daily learning includes stories, music, role play, number work and early writing experiences.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily woodland access is the decisive physical feature. Den Making & Shelter Building involves construction and collaborative problem-solving; Farm Walks & Nature Trails bring observation into the surrounding farm environment. Children can explore nature through movement as well as through looking and listening.

Campfire Stories & Hot Chocolate combines supervised campfire experiences with storytelling and social time. Outdoor Cooking Experiences includes preparing snacks over an open fire under supervision. These activities make the woodland a place for conversation and shared tasks as well as physical exploration.

In April 2025, children helped bottle-feed baby lambs on the farm and built dens in the forest school area. They also visited a local residential care home to take part in activities with residents. The experiences brought care for animals and contact with older people into their learning about others.

Children's views had a practical outlet too. In April 2025, the school council enabled them to suggest resources to buy. Making a suggestion about something they would actually use gave their choices a tangible purpose.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2025, relationships with key workers were central to children's sense of security. Toddlers showed care for one another after naps, offering comfort, a drink or company at the table. Those small interactions give a useful picture of social learning: consideration was expressed through everyday actions.

Famly, the nursery's communication app, connects home with the nursery day through photographs, observations, messages and updates. Parents can follow activities and use them as starting points for conversations at home. The app also handles invoices and payments, reports of absences or holidays, and requests for extra sessions.

That combination has practical value. Learning updates and routine administration use the same route, while messages give families a way to pass information back to the team. Requesting an extra session through the app remains a request rather than a promise of a place.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, praised the inclusion of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and judged that the curriculum supported excellent progress and increasing independence. For families needing additional support, the significant finding was children's participation in activities, rather than simply the existence of a support policy.

In April 2025, staff used observations, assessments and discussion to identify what children already understood and what to introduce next. Staff development included training in speech and language, SEND, safeguarding and first aid. The emphasis was on responding to individual children through informed everyday practice.

At that time, children ate varied healthy foods, with fruit and drinking water accessible during the day. Handwashing and activities about caring for teeth and gums made health part of the daily routine.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.45am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday. Famly allows parents to request additional sessions and manage nursery payments, making it a useful administrative route alongside its learning updates.

In April 2025, the nursery operated throughout the year, closing for one week at Christmas. That inspection-time calendar is useful context when considering how childcare fits around work and family holidays.

Getting There

The address is Latham Farm, Latham Lane, Gomersal, BD19 4AL. The nursery's enquiry form provides a route to discuss requirements and arrange a viewing.

Funding and Paid Extras

In April 2025, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged nine months and for two-, three- and four-year-olds. This describes participation at that date rather than establishing an individual family's entitlement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Outdoor participation. Daily woodland access and supervised open-fire activities are substantial parts of the offer. At a viewing, discuss how your child's age, confidence and support needs shape participation in these experiences.
• Your attendance and funding plan. The weekday opening window runs from 7.45am to 5.45pm. Ask for one written breakdown covering your proposed booking pattern, funded hours, meals and consumables so you can assess the complete arrangement.
• Support in everyday activities. The April 2025 inclusion finding centred on children taking part alongside others. Use a visit to discuss how the team would adapt woodland activities and daily routines for your child's particular needs.

Little Latham Farmers suits families who want nature, practical tasks and creative play to feature substantially in their child's nursery experience. Woodland access, the Art Cabin and opportunities to care for growing vegetables give that preference concrete expression.

The April 2025 Outstanding judgement provides a strong quality reference point, while Famly offers a practical connection between home and nursery. The appeal is clear for children who enjoy exploring and making things, and for parents who value learning that connects with animals, plants and the wider community.